Humanity Part 6
by vamphile
Summary: Five years from now...Angel's human, buffy and the gang are still together...life isn't perfect


Buffy was curled up on her bed…their bed, sobbing, sobbing the way only Angel could make her. Sobbing the way, it seemed like she had since the day she had met him. She should to be glad to be rid of him, but she wasn't. She was unbearably sad.

Xander heard his phone ringing downstairs, he glanced at the clock in Willow's apartment, it was four am. He exchanged a worried look with Willow and they both headed down to his place. When they got there Cordelia was sitting up, rumpled with the phone to her ear.

"oh, god, Angel, oh my god. Yeah, I'll be right there"

Xander wanted to cry, he said nothing. Cordelia didn't seem t notice Xander, or Willow standing behind him, she got dressed quickly, ran a comb through her hair, put it up with a clip and grabbed her purse. She was on her way to the door when she noticed her husband with a cocked eyebrow and a heartbreakingly hurt look on his face. 

"Xander, Willow, um, hi, Angel ran into some um…trouble, and he doesn't want to bother Buffy with it. I have to go." She gave Xander a peck on his cheek, "I'll be back" 

Xander laid his hand on her belly, felt the hard swell of their child that grew within her and looked directly into his wife's eyes "I don't want you in danger" 

Danger was a part of all of their lives, they were the Slayerettes, the Scoobies, The Gang, they lived on the Hellmouth and they hung out with ex vampires and demons, Cordelia still got visions occasionally, Giles was perpetually discovering a new prophesy that needed to be thwarted before it was fulfilled, and of course…random vamps. This being said, Xander had never forbidden or even asked Cordelia not to help, not to put herself on the line. It was part of what they all did. But today, tonight, now…with so much at risk, their marriage being on the top of his list. Xander didn't want her to go.

"there's no danger, it's more of an errand"

"a four am errand for Angel?"

"Cordelia looked down she couldn't meet Xander's gaze and after tonight, she would tell him the truth , lying to him was breaking her heart and from the looks of it, his as well" She put on her ultra-bright smile, "I love you" and she stepped past him, moving herself away from his touch, and practically ran out the door. Her heart was pounding but she had to get to Angel, he had sounded pretty desperate himself.

Xander sat in the chair near him as though his legs had collapsed under him, he rested his head in his hands and sighed, trying to hold back the tears. A few minutes later he stood up, at looked at Willow, who had been standing next to him, her hand on his shoulder, trying her best to be comforting. 

"lets go find Buffy, she's got to have more of an answer than I do"

Willow nodded in agreement and the two headed off. 

The moment Cordelia walked through the doors of the emergency room at Sunnydale General she felt sick to her stomach. The pervasive odor of hospital disinfectant brought back so many memories, so many times she had almost lost something dear. She swallowed hard and scanned the room until she saw him, standing in a corner. She hurried over to him.

He was covered in blood. Cordelia blanched. "Angel, Angel, what happened?"

He didn't seem to hear her, or to see her, he was staring off into space his arms crossed making his shirt stick to him even more.

"Angel" louder this time.

"what?, oh, huh, hi"

"Angel what happened?"

"I lost her"

"what? Oh my god Angel, she's dead?"

"she's gone Cordelia, there's no second…well fifth chance this time"

Cordelia leaned in to hug Angel, she wanted to comfort him, to tell him that he had tried, so many times to save Faith and that while he may not get to choose whose life he saves and whose he doesn't, well, he can't save them all, and Faith, she might have been beyond hope she didn't get a chance to say any of this, when she touched him he pulled back from her, recoiled as if she had hit him

"Angel…"

his tears came silently, and she slowly guided him to a private lounge off to the side of the ER…how many times had she sat here…she decided not to count.

"Angel, It's okay"

"nothing's okay without her Cordelia" he said and then he stopped crying, he stopped moving, he stared straight ahead trying to get control of himself, but he couldn't seem to and the tears, silent and pure came.

Cordelia was confused. 'nothing is okay without her?!?" without Faith? What? Huh, she looked at the raw pain on Angel's face and a sudden horror hit her.

Angel, did Faith kill Buffy? Angel, who's in the hospital? Who's blood is this?" she picked up his shirt tail and held it in front of his face. "Angel, who are we mourning for here?"

Cordelia had heard him mumble something on the phone about Faith and hospital and losing her. It had never occurred to her that it was Buffy, but this pain, this was a pain Angel reserved solely for Buffy, Cordelia began to panic.

Angel could barely see out of his world of pain, but when he glanced between the guilt and the anguish he saw Cordelia, looking tired and worried and suddenly he realized what he'd done. He had called her, pregnant, at four in the morning. It turns out, he thought to himself, that it isn't only stuff you do without a soul that makes you feel evil and guilty.

"Cordelia," his voice broke at her name, and he brushed a hand down her face, wanting, even in his world of pain to calm her. "Cordelia"

"Angel, you're scaring me." Cordelia was crying now, sure that Buffy was gone, that Faith had killed her. "Angel, where is she?"

just then there was a knock on the lounge door and a dr. in scrubs came in. "we had to take her up to surgery but she didn't sever the jugular, or any of her vocal cords. She's very lucky.

What color was her hair? Cordelia asked

"

The dr. looked at her as though she were insane.

"what color was her goddamn hair?" Cordelia was yelling this time bordering on hysteria

"um, miss," the dr. began "it looks as though your friend is going to be okay, well physically at least, and…"

"She'll be fine, she's got like preternatural strength now tell me. WHAT COLOR WAS HER HAIR YOU GODDAMN MORON"

the doctor was confused by the woman's obsession with this seemingly inconsequential detail but he looked at the chart. Um…brown, her hair was brown.

Cordelia heaved a sigh of relief and held Angel close…Buffy wasn't the one who had bled. And then she realized, Buffy could still be dead.

"Angel!!! Angel just tell me, where is Buffy?"

"I don't know , she left me when she found out about Faith"

"but she's not hurt?"

"no"

"okay now…tell me….what happened?"

Angel, expressionless, recounted the story, and as he retold it his anger towards Buffy built again, as he got to the part where he told her "I can't even look at you" he meant those words again. He might have lost Buffy, but if he had…good riddance, he had never noticed how selfish and unforgiving she could be. 

Cordelia watched the transformation and was both relived and horrified by what he was telling her. Angel she said, we have to get you home, get you cleaned up, you'll need to be here when Faith wakes up, and I don't think she's gonna want to greet you in a shirt covered in her own blood.

Angel looked down at himself and smiled ruefully, yeah he said, and Cordelia walked him towards her car and drove him back to his place. Hoping against hope that a confrontation with Buffy wouldn't be next on the agenda.

Willow and Xander let themselves in to Buffy and Angel's condo. Willow heard the muffled sobs first and headed towards the bedroom, she found Buffy in an all to familiar position, fully clothed curled up above the covers on the bed. Willow knew this sobbing, this pain, this was Angel pain. And when it was over…well there was slaying to be done. But for now…the pain was so pure hurt just to watch it.

Xander was no stranger to the Buffy/Angel painfest, but it didn't make it any easier for him to see her hurting like this, he wanted to reach out, to comfort her but there was nothing to say, nothing could be done, especially when he didn't know the problem. He stood by while Willow sat next to her hysterical friend and stroked her hair. He also knew that Buffy would soon be ready to fight whatever it was that was making her feel so terrible, he would be there for that part too.

Angel stared mutely into space, going over and over those last few moments with Faith and Buffy. He could still see Faith, trying to form the words, ready to ask for help. He could feel those words not yet formed, and how they turned to ice and shattered at Buffy's cold and unfeeling reaction to Faith's presence. He tried to look at it from a different angle. Buffy had a right to be wary of faith. H considered how he would feel if he had found Buffy keeping such a large secret from him. But then he thought again about how she wouldn't listen, about how distant she had been lately. His anger swelled, and then morphed into guilt, which lead to guilt, and then back to anger. The vicious cycle played itself over and over in his head and his heart while Cordelia drove silently contemplating what came next. 

Willow was stroking Buffy's hair, Xander stood, with his hands in his pockets, not knowing what to say, but knowing soon, he might be needed. Watching Buffy's pain he understood, and his deepest fear was that when she started talking, his own pain would be laid bare. Was Buffy this upset because Angel was with Cordelia? Xander tried not to think about it…and as a result…it was all he could think about.

They heard the click of the door opening, and Willow and Xander exchanged glances of concern. Buffy didn't seem to hear, or at least didn't respond. Xander made a gesture to Willow indicating that he would go check it out. He moved quietly along the hallway and peeked his head around the wall so that he could see into the living room area from the landing at the top of the stairs. Angel was leaning on Cordelia, she was hugging him. He held her, 

"Cordelia, I'm gonna lose her because of this"

Cordelia considered the statement, she honestly didn't think that there was anything that could truly separate Buffy and Angel, but part and parcel of their love was an underlying fear of loss. They had both suffered so much loss, both seen so much horror. Their love was stronger for it, but there were moments, when even the strongest believers lost their Faith.

"Angel, Lets just get you out of those clothes…shall we?

there was nothing seductive in the way she said it, but Xander's jealousy took on a life of it's own and breathed intimacy and passion into what was in fact a motherly statement. He considered his options. He could ignore it, or deal with it at another time, or accept that this is what his relationship with Cordelia was, a stop gap between rendezvous with Angel. His horror began to build and his anger gave it a run for it's money. Xander considered his child, THEIR child. But which THEIR? Was it his an Cordelia's? Or was it angels?. Suddenly he understood Buffy's grief, he could see what must have happened, she had found them, discovered them, and it had left her broken, and sobbing. 

Xander felt hollow inside, for about a moment and the truth hit him full force…and then…rage swallowed everything else. He grabbed the first thing he found, a wooden carved statue of some ancient woman, it was on the dresser in the hallway, he walked down the stairs, quietly, both Cordelia and Angel were too wrapped up in their own issues to even notice . 

Xander pulled Angel away from Cordelia, the blood that covered the much larger man didn't even have time to register, he clocked Angel on the head with the statue.

"OW…HEY!" Angel looked up at Xander's face, he hadn't seen the expression Xander was wearing since…well, since he had taken spikes place with Dru while he was laid up in a wheelchair, that murderous jealous rage. He didn't have time to register this all cognitively though, because Xander wasn't done/

Xander said nothing, he simply went for the ex vamps head…again, this time smashing a hard blow to the right temple, but only pout of sheer luck, and Angel's deep preoccupation. Angel gave a slightly surprised expression before falling to the floor in a rather large and bloody heap. 

"Xander, what the hell are you doing?" Cordelia was yelling now, and confused, and not just a little concerned for Angel, who was apparently having the mother of all bad days.

Xander straddled the prostrate man and was about to pummel him some more when Cordelia grabbed his arm…he tried to shake her off but her grip was viselike and he didn't want to hurt her.

He looked up at her, saw the tears in her eyes, and knew…he had lost her.

"I know he said" the rage leaving his body almost as quickly as it had come, and leaving him empty and exhausted. Cordelia pulled him off of Angel and sat him in a chair in the living room.   


"don't move." 

Cordelia was more confused than ever, she had not had time to process the nights events and they were still a muddled mix of individual episodes with seemingly no clear connection. She idly wondered if she was dreaming, but when she grabbed the ice from the freezer and found the ice-pack in the kitchen she knew that the cold sensation on her hand was not the kind you found in dreams. She but the ice on Angel's temple, and rolled him on his side, she couldn't move him and so for the moment, she would have to leave him there. She turned around…now ready to face her husband…and find out what the hell was going on.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" it was as good a way to start as any.

"I know." Xander said it quietly, looking down at his hands…he couldn't look at her.

"well, I'm glad you do, 'cause I've got no fucking clue"

"I know about you and Angel" again, quietly

Cordelia looked at him, still confused. "I thought we were over this, I told you all of this last year, why are you just getting angry about it now? Hell, why, for that matter, are you getting angry about it at all?"

"not about your past. About your present." Xander's voice was getting louder and his anger was undoubtable

"yes?" Cordelia tapped her foot, waiting to hear what it was Xander knew…maybe something to clear up the surreal quality of the evening"

"I know you love him Cordelia, I know you two want to be together. It's okay. " Xander swallowed hard, and now he was more sad than anything as it began to hit him what he was losing. "I won't stand in your way, I told you that once before, getting between Angel and what he wants…who he loves…that's just pain and humiliation galore…and I'm past that point"

now it was Cordelia who was angry.

"you think I'm sleeping with Angel? You think I'm standing here, carrying YOUR child, and sleeping with one of my best friends husbands?"

she was beyond angry. She threw herself at him, wanting to bash the sad look from his mistrusting face. But as she lunged, she realized what it might look like to him, the late phone calls, the private glances, the intimacy that she and Angel did share. Her lunge stopped midway, and she ended up on Xander's lap in an ungraceful heap.

"you're crazy Xander Harris." She said it gently " I thought The pregnancy was supposed to make ME insane"

He looked up at her. "you're denying it?"

She kissed him, "I don't have to deny it. I am just telling you…that it isn't true"

Buffy slowly became aware that she wasn't alone in the room, she sat up, and was only a little surprised to see Willow there, she tried to smile…it didn't quite work, 

"hi will"

"hi Buffy" 

the two women sat in silence, Willow waiting for Buffy to tell the tale, Buffy trying to gather her thoughts enough to tell it.

"Faith's back" she started.

Willow blanched. But she tried to remain calm, "um, ah, er, you saw her?"

"oh yeah" Buffy said ruefully "I saw her…with Angel"

"with Angel?" sometimes, when she was really confused or scared Willow found it best to just repeat the last few words.

"he was keeping her on Crawford street. He'd had her there…for days, and he hadn't bothered to tell anyone." Buffy thought for a moment…"no, let me correct that, he hadn't bothered to tell me. I think Cordelia knew"

Willow Tried not to react, but she knew about Xander's concern, she know about Buffy's concern, but deep in her heart, she had always believed in Buffy and Angel, in the whole true love thing, believed that with both of them dealing with supernatural prophecies that made everything that much more difficult, she had always thought that their love was something that had been given to them, as a gift, like an apology. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe all this time, it was an ideal, and not a reality.

Willow said nothing.

Buffy thought for a moment

"I don't know what's going on with Angel, or Cordelia, or Faith" she chewed her lip thoughtfully," but I'm gonna find out"

and with that she launched her self from the bed, grabbed he weapons bag and stormed down the steps ready to find whatever she could…and battle it until everything she didn't like was dead….it's was the best way she knew to deal with emotions she couldn't seem to reign in.

she didn't expect to find most of what she was looking for in her living room.

She found Xander on her couch, with Cordelia on his lap, their faces were inches from each other and they were whispering to each other, too involved in their conversation to notice her. She was about to turn and face them when she caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was Angel, covered in blood, laying on the floor. The ice-pack had slipped from his temple, she didn't see it. Fear made her stomach lurch. Angel was dead, Faith had killed him, or …no…that made no sense. 

dammit, Buffy thought to herself I need some fucking answers and with that she dropped her weapons bag and touched Angel, he was still warm, she felt for a pulse and found one.

That's when the yelling started.

Cordelia and Xander looked up, startled when they heard the clatter of her dropped bad, they watched her small frame move Angel's large body to an upright position, they both considered telling her that maybe it was best if she didn't move him, but the look on her face told them that they would be best of saying nothing. 

Mere moments later there was nothing they could say, Buffy was screaming, ranting, raving, pacing back and forth. Shooting questions at them and not even waiting for a response, answering them herself and then raising another question. Most of her answers were wrong, and each tome Xander or Cordelia opened their moth to respond she began ranting again,. They snapped their mouths shut in unison. Automatically, sitting next to each other on the couch they grabbed for one anothers hand, and so they sat, while Buffy vented every niggling question concern and issue she had been holding for the last few months. And when she was done she turned and faced the two of them…who now looked like nothing more that kids caught doing something they knew was wrong…although…for the life of them, they had no idea what that might be.

Angel came to about two minutes into Buffy's tirade, he watched her, magnificent and graceful pace back and forth firing questions at the couple who looked like deer caught in headlights. Buffy's rage was a difficult thing to take, he knew from experience. And this was no ordinary rage. Angel watched in admiration, fascination and sadness. He knew that most of this rage was directed at him. And he didn't think he was gonna be able to calm her this time…he was afraid he had crossed the line. 

Willow watched the scene, possibly the only one who could remove themselves both physically and emotionally from the moment to have any idea what was going on. The chaos below began to make sense to her from her perch on the balcony above them all.

Xander and Cordelia were sitting close, almost huddled together against Buffy's wrath. Willow knew enough about people to know that these were not the actions of a couple who were faking it, or falling out of love. The look in Angel's eyes would have been enough to tell Willow everything, but she couldn't see his eyes from there, instead she focused on his gaze in general. He never stopped watching Buffy, never shot a meaningful, or conspirital glance towards Cordelia. Something was wrong…and things needed to be talked through…but Angel was still as in love with Buffy as she was with him…Willow would bet her life on it.

Eventually Buffy ran out of steam…although it took her a while. And when she was done she sat glaring at Xander and Cordelia, tapping her foot, arms crossed as though she were waiting for something.

"well"

they looked at each other, and then back at Buffy. "um" Xander started.

"er" Cordelia continued

both of them had been so lost in their own thoughts and had so much trouble following the almost maniacal tirade that they had sort of tuned out. And now, like a kids caught without their homework they got the distinct feeling that there was a question they were SUPPOSED to be answering…but neither of them knew what it might be.

Angel stood up, still a little woozy. He put a hand on either of Buffy's shoulders and turned her to face him.

"Angel"

"Buffy"

"Angel, I…"

"no, Buffy let me…first off to answer your questions. No, no , yes, sometimes, not once, never, no, maybe, and only you. And secondly, Buffy I'm sorry about earlier. I should have told you, and you have every right to be angry."

"she looked at him. Um, what were those questions you were answering again?"

"it doesn't matter," he leaned in closer to her, hoping that their closeness, might remind them both that there was something between them that was stronger than her hatred of Faith, stronger than her fear of losing him, something that was just…well…strong.

It worked, for a minute, and then she pulled away, "NO, not this time, all the kissing in the world isn't gonna make this all right, you lied to me. How long had Faith been there? How long were you gonna keep her there, in you're cozy little love nest without telling me?" she backed away from him, remembering the hurt again, remembering the things they had said to each other.

He took a step towards her, running a hand through his hair, moving carefully, "Buffy I didn't tell you because I knew you were gonna react like this"

"I'm reacting like this because you DIDN"T tell me, did it even occur to you to let me know?, didn't occur to you that you were putting me in danger?"

"see Buffy, that's all you see, is that you might have been in danger, and the truth is, I don't think you were, she needed me, needed someone who understood, and I think she needs you too."

Buffy stared at him blankly "I'd forgotten", quietly

"forgotten what?"

"how much you need the damsel in distress, how much you NEED to be the white knight. I'm sorry I can't give that to you anymore."

"Buffy is that really what you think this is about, my needing to save someone? Faith and I have a history. " He saw the pain skitter across her face and instantly regretted the words, he took a softer tone "you have a history with her too, she's a part of the group whether we like to admit it or not. And you have your mom, and all of us" he gestured around the room "we are there to support you no matter how tough things get. Who does Faith have? She has the strength, and the skill to be a slayer, and I honestly believe she has the desire to fight the darkness, to fight the evil, in herself, and around us, but she has no support, no watcher, no family, no friends, no connection with the PTB…Buffy, she's alone. I know what that's like."

Buffy was crying now. Silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "so you want to be with her."

"no. Buffy, I want…I need to be with you. But she needs help, and I won't turn my back on her just because you two have this sibling rivalry thing going on. Just because I'm human doesn't mean my job is done. She has a chance to do what's right. If she needs help I'm gonna offer it to her. She's hurting pretty badly right now. I think you know that" Angel gestured at his still blood-caked shirt. "But she's not down for the count. And I'm sorry if you think that this is a choice between you and Faith, but Buffy, it shouldn't have to be. I DOESN'T have to be. But I AM going to help her. Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to change my clothes and get back to the hospital so that she doesn't wake up alone…again." And with that he started up the stairs, halfway up he touched his hand to his bruised temple , stopped and called down the steps "oh and Xander, I've never touched your wife, but if you don't believe me, ask her, and if you don't believe her…well, you have bigger problems than I thought." He continued up the steps, brushed by Willow, hardly even noticing her, and headed towards the shower.

Willow headed down the stairs, truthfully she would like to have been as far away from this situation as possible and considered beating a hasty retreat to her own place. She didn't want to be there, but once Buffy and Cordelia started to talk, she was hypnotized, she couldn't leave. She needed to know it was all gonna be okay.

"Cordelia, I don't know what to say" Buffy seemed genuinely contrite

"Buffy, and Xander, this goes for you too, so listen. I am not in love with Angel. I don't know what I have to do to convince you…she looked pointedly at Willow, ALL of you, but I love Xander. I am IN love with Xander. I am having Xander's baby. Angel and I, we have a history, just like you guys do, and he trusted me with this because I was there, when she fell apart, when she wanted nothing more than to die, to disappear. She WANTED Angel to kill her, but he didn't, and now he feels responsible."

The three of them looked at Cordelia, trying to understand how her feelings for Faith could be so different from their own.

Cordelia glanced around, she saw the stares and knew that she wasn't making any headway, she tried a different tack. "look, she has been alone, and she has made some seriously bad decisions. Decisions that hurt her, and others. And she is not asking that it all be forgotten, but she is asking for us to accept that she has changed. The way we all" she turned her head to ensure that she made eye contact with each one of them "have changed" 

Buffy sat down exhausted. Willow moved further into a corner, trying to hide, hoping that no one noticed that she was starting to see Cordelia's point of view. She considered what it was like to be alone…and considered what it must be like to know that you are the only protection you have against the evil that is out there. Willow slid her back down along the wall and hugged her knees to her as she considered all the things that really did go bump in the night. To be alone with that, and to know that so many people who might understand, hated you. It made Willow want to cry just thinking about it. Willow tried to put these feelings together with her already set ideas regarding Faith. And she couldn't. Her head hurt just trying. "I –I-I- have to go." Willow stood up quickly and walked out the door before anyone could say anything. 

Once outside in the courtyard she grabbed a couple of gulps of fresh air…and headed to the hospital, she needed to see Faith, to look at her, and try to reconcile what she now knew…with what she thought she knew. She started walking with a determined gait.

Angel took a quick shower and threw on some clean clothes, he paused for just a second with his hand on the bedroom doorknob. He wasn't sure what he was going to find in his living room, or what he was going to have to accept when he came home later tonight, but he couldn't think about that now. He knew one thing. There was a sad, and desperate girl, laying in a hospital bed, needing help. He knew what to do about that. That was the kind of stuff he was good at. He opened the door and headed downstairs.

The living room was empty. He didn't know where they had all gone. He couldn't be worried about it now, he headed to the hospital.

Willow slipped unnoticed into the ICU, one of the best parts of living in Sunnydale is most administrative types were oblivious. She stared at Faith, she had tubes up her nose, and a large bandage that circled her neck, she was pale. She was somehow smaller than Willow had remembered her. Willow had always pictured her to be this dark and evil force, large and looming, but here in bed, she looked, well, like a fragile girl. Willow's heart went out to her. She wasn't even sure how this wound had occurred, but it looked bad. Willow had picked up some new nifty new skills of late, but her favorite was an old standard that Tara had taught her, she focused on Faith's aura, and she saw turmoil and fear, but no anger. She didn't see the hatred, or the rage that she would expect. Willow didn't believe Faith to be a threat to them anymore, and if she wasn't an enemy, Willow thought, then was she a friend?. Willow reached out tentatively and touched the girls hand, it was cold.

Angel, having more experience with Sunnydale general hospital than most didn't even bother to be stealthy, he just strode into the ICU and was more than surprised to find Willow there, holding Faith's hand. He was about to say something, he didn't even know what, when faiths eyes fluttered open.

"A A A Angel" it was a croak more than a whisper even.

He took the final few steps to her bedside and took hold of her other hand. "Right here"

Faith made a noise but Angel wasn't sure what she was trying to say, he could see the effort that it took her though. He put a finger to her lips. "shhhh rest, it's okay, it's all gonna be okay" she closed her eyes again. He motioned to Willow to follow him and the two left the girl to rest and heal.

"Willow what are you doing here?"

Willow didn't have a good answer to that. 

"I I I, um, I needed to see her"

"and now that you have? " Angel wasn't sure she wasn't here at Buffy's request.

"I don't' know… I guess I just, well, um, I don't know"

Angel nodded still not sure, but he and Willow were friends, of a sort, and he could use all the friends he could get at the moment. " I'm gonna get some coffee, you wasn't some?"

"um, no thanks, I'm just gonna go back in for a minute" she gave him a crooked smile

Angel didn't know what to make of Willow's presence at the hospital, he wanted to read it as a good sign, if Willow were open to the idea, maybe it was possible to sway Xander, and Buffy as well. He sighed and looked down at his coffee as though there were some magical answer in the depths of the dark brew. He felt more than saw Buffy enter the room.

Angel looked up and found Buffy with Xander and Cordelia standing behind him.

Buffy spoke first. "you say she can be trusted, well I don't trust her." Angel started to say something but Buffy put her hand up to stop him. "but I do trust you. So if you say she needs my help, then I'll help."

It wasn't much, but it was a start, and there was a chance that the healing that this group so sorely needed might begin. Angel held Buffy to him and smiled. He glanced up at Cordelia, who was smiling a little herself, Xander was holding her hand. 

They all, without knowing it, simultaneously exhaled a deep breath, that none of them even knew they had been holding. 

Things were looking up.

The end.

Feedback, please. 

[Kgoretrout@go,com][1]

   [1]: mailto:Kgoretrout@go,com



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